Ernie Goldenman

Tell The Truth and Never Lie

Honoring Ernie Goldenman

Tell The Truth and Never Lie
(Honoring Ernie Goldenman)

I grew up on a farm
With cows to milk in the barn
A few chickens, a few pigs
Bought a tractor when I got big
Then drove it with my Dad
And sure enough he go mad
When liftin’ the plow off the ground
The neighbors fense I broke down
Oh me, oh my
Tell the truth and never lie

I recall on one Spring day
Old Nelly was her name
On her back, reared up to go
Held on with all my might
Just as I stood upright
She galloped through the barnyard door
Never rode that horse no more
Oh me, oh my
Tell the truth and never lie

In the winter skied both ways
To a one room school through 8 grades
Across the field played kitten ball
At recess, spring and fall
Plus we had a wood stove
Gathered wood when it got cold
In long john underwear
Around the stove we huddles there
Oh me, oh my
Tell the truth and never lie

Went to high school did graduate
In a class of 78
I played sports, loved baseball
One highlight I recall
Pitched a no hit , no run game
Everybody went insane
When we won by one run
What good is life if it’s not fun
Oh me, oh my
Tell the truth and never lie

After college worked at Cargill
Research Farm to pay my bills
Testing minerals and proteins
And vitamins for pig feed
Then one day my wife did say,
“Let’s get out of town and move away.”
So we bought land, grew Christmas trees
To support the family
Oh me, oh my
Tell the truth and never lie

Learn to discipline yourself
The value of helping someone else
If you do what I said
You’ll hear that voice inside your head
Tell you what to do
In your life when you’re confused
Teaching you wrong from right
If you do you’ll have peace at night
Oh me, oh my
Tell the truth and never lie

Words & Music by Larry Long with Mrs. Annen’s and Mrs. Knettel’s 4th Grade Class of Westwood Elementary School. Zimmerman, Minnesota.

© Larry Long 2010 / BMI